Sinking crypto exchange FTX files for bankruptcy


Embattled cryptocurrency exchange FTX has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the company announced Friday. CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has also resigned, with John J. Ray III slotted to replace him.
"The immediate relief of Chapter 11 is appropriate to provide the FTX Group the opportunity to assess its situation and develop a process to maximize recoveries for stakeholders," Ray said, per CNBC.
News of the filing arrives after quite the "tumultuous week" for FTX, one of cryptocurrency's biggest players, CNBC writes. In just days, the exchange "went from a $32 billion valuation to bankruptcy as liquidity dried up, customers demanded withdrawals, and rival exchange Binance ripped up its nonbinding agreement to buy the company." Once an industry star — "widely viewed as one of the most stable and responsible companies" in the "loosely regulated" crypto space — the platform is also now under investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors in New York, adds The New York Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trouble first began when Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao over the weekend suggested FTX might be in a precarious position financially, and panicked customers rushed to pull their investments from the platform, the Times writes. An overwhelmed FTX was subsequently "unable to meet the demand."
Zhao then agreed to buy the rival exchange "in what amounted to a bailout," only to cancel the agreement after reviewing FTX's financial documents. On Thursday, Bankman-Fried admitted that he "f--ked up, and should have done better." But ultimately, the hole was "too big to fill," writes the Times: "In all, FTX owed as much as $8 billion."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - deportation, Canadian politeness, and more
-
5 low approval cartoons about poll numbers
Cartoons Artists take on fake pollsters, shared disapproval, and more
-
Deepfakes and impostors: the brave new world of AI jobseeking
In The Spotlight More than 80% of large companies use AI in their hiring process, but increasingly job candidates are getting in on the act
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns